Beauty therapist left clients blistered

A practitioner of Chinese medicine has been found to have breached patients' rights after two women experienced severe reactions to hair removal treatment he provided.

Both women complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner after they developed redness, pain and blisters following intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment.

The first woman said she was told by the practitioner that she would need six treatments, for which she prepaid. After the first session, she was given an information sheet which warned of the possible side-effects of IPL.

She was also given an information sheet explaining the procedure. One of the steps outlined involved testing a patch of skin to determine sensitivity.

The commissioner's report, released today, found the practitioner did not test the woman's skin.

After four uneventful treatments, she experienced some redness on the fifth treatment and severe pain on the sixth. Within 36 hours her legs blistered and she sought help from a medical centre.

She also saw a dermatologist who told her too much energy had been used during the procedure.

She returned to the clinic where the practitioner agreed to fully refund her fees.

The second woman also agreed to six pre-paid treatments and did not have her skin tested. She experienced "very painful" and blistered legs after the third treatment.

She also visited a dermatologist who told her too much energy had been used during the treatment but that the hyperpigmented scarring on her legs would improve with time.

Deputy health and disability commissioner Rae Lamb found that the first woman had been given information about the treatment after her first session so she was not able to make an informed consent.

She also found that because the skin test was not performed on either woman, the practitioner had failed to follow the required safety procedures.

On Ms Lamb's recommendation, the practitioner had further training, updated his procedure manual, and apologised to the women.

Ms Lamb also warned the practitioner that he needed to remove the title "Dr" from his clinic's website as he was not a registered health professional.

The man told the inquiry he studied Chinese medicine and medicinal beauty in China and had performed IPL hair removal treatment to nearly 1000 clients over three years.

- NZPA